I don't wanna write a full review, just wanna say...

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I've seen the 1974 version, and liked it a lot, I even read the book way back when...so seeing all these negative posts about how the characters are flat, the soundtrack is god-awful, etc. had me unsure that I'd enjoy it.

At first I did notice the visuals and wondered if they would dominate the movie, but they did not distract me from the story like I thought they might, after awhile you just accept the movie's outstanding setting, the characters balance it out. Though I never understood the hype over DiCaprio, he did a great performance as did his supporting cast, Maguire and Mulligan. To those saying that Daisy wasn't pretty enough, I think that is such a superficial statement to make, were you expecting Beyonce??? I think she was beautiful from the first scene we saw her, when the curtains were blowing in her house, I actually liked her better than the one from the older film. Mulligan was much more likable, while still being portrayed as materialistic and vain (especially with an ending like that, I love this story). The romantic moments had me feeling nostalgic, combined with the visuals and yes, even the music at times pulled me deeper into the film and it's characters. The rap/hip-hop kind of faded into the background for me, it didn't overwhelm me at all, and the other music selected was very good. Whoever said Tobey Maguire was terrible was wrong, he did his role exactly as he should have, Nick Carraway was a pawn in Gatsby's plan to win back Nick's cousin Daisy, he got wrapped up in their lives, Daisy's broken marriage, and in the end was left alone to mourn Gatsby. He got sucked into the rich lifestyle, but remained neutral and good at heart. Overall, I really liked this movie, I wish people weren't so over-critical. If the soundtrack was 1920's jazz everyone would have complained that the music was silly, or that the director should have made it to appeal to the audience.